Tigers, Red Sox play pivotal Game 3, as ALCS shifts to Detroit

(SportsNetwork.com) - Momentum is only as good as the next days' starting
pitcher, right?

Well, if that's the case, the Detroit Tigers have to relish the situation they
find themselves in despite a crushing Game 2 loss to the Boston Red Sox in the
American League Championship Series.

The Tigers now turn to Justin Verlander in Game 3 and will try to regain
control of the best-of-seven set, as the series shifts to Comerica Park.

"It's always nice to have Justin Verlander on the mound no matter what the
situation is," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "There won't be any carry-over
for our guys from that game last night. That's over with."

Detroit seemed well on its way to returning home with a two-games-to-none lead
in this series, as it held a 5-1 advantage in the eighth inning on Sunday.

However, the Tigers' bullpen, which had been so solid in Saturday's Game 1
win, imploded and allowed a game-tying grand slam to David Ortiz in the
eighth, before Jarrod Saltalamacchia's RBI single in the ninth lifted the Red
Sox to a 6-5 win.

"We've got a ballclub that battles," Ortiz said. "We fight. We never give up.
You saw it through the whole season. We found a way to get back and try to win
a ballgame. It's never over until the last out, you know?"

The comeback wasted a wonderful outing from Max Scherzer, who carried a no-
hitter into the sixth inning and struck out 13 over seven innings.

"We came away with the split," Scherzer said. "You have to see the glass half-
full. This one stinks tonight, but guess what? The sun comes up tomorrow, and
we're going to be playing these guys at home in front of our fans. It's up to
us to choose if we're going to come out and compete. I think we will. I don't
think this is going to deter our effort. I believe in this clubhouse. I
believe in everybody in here, all 25 guys here. I still believe in us."

Detroit starters hadn't allowed a run in 23 consecutive postseason innings and
the staff as a whole broke a major league record on Sunday by striking out 32
batters in the first two games of this set.

"We've got a starting rotation that's relentless, and I said that before the
series started. Every guy has their unique ability to shut down a team in
their own way," Verlander said. "I'm just one of the four guys right now."

Verlander started the streak with eight scoreless innings in Game 5 of the
ALDS against Oakland and comes into Tuesday's start having not allowed a run
in 15 postseason innings this season.

Of course, Verlander's terrific postseason comes on the heels of an
inconsistent regular season that saw him go 13-12 with a 3.46 ERA.

"Just playing with JV, a Cy Young winner, an MVP ... I definitely think that
just playing with him, just seeing him being competitive ... He's working his
(tail) off, trying to figure out his arm angle, his curveball, his changeup
and figure out a grip," teammate Torii Hunter said.

Boston, meanwhile, will turn to righty John Lackey, who is certainly no
stranger to the big stage. As a 24-year-old rookie, Lackey pitched the Los
Angeles Angels of Anaheim to a win in Game 7 of the 2002 World Series and has
pitched in the postseason on four other occasions for the Halos.

"He's not short on pitching in unfavorable conditions, whether it's in a
postseason in New York, and certainly one that's going to be in Detroit," Red
Sox manager John Farrell said. "We're talking about a guy that's pitched at
the highest level on the biggest stage that the game has to offer."

Lackey, though, was not sharp in his ALDS start against the Rays, but still
got the win, as he allowed four runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

The Tigers were 4-3 against the Red Sox in 2013, winning three of four at
Comerica Park in June.